Book review of "Global innovation of teaching and learning in higher education"

Abstract

Layne, P.C., & Lake, P. (Eds.) (2015). Global Innovation of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Transgressing Boundaries. New York and London: Springer. Pages: 368. Price: USD $129 (hardcover or paper), USD $99.00 (ebook).The purpose of this book is to examine current trends in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and higher education, with a focus on the pedagogical strategies used by instructors worldwide for overcoming challenges in higher education. The general idea is that, in order to maximize students' learning, institutions should follow innovative policies, and instructors have to be collaborative and creative in their teaching practices, for in the present world demands and needs are growing faster than ever and challenges have become far more rigorous.The book is organized into an introduction and five parts. Part I (Chapters 2 to 6) is composed of five chapters and it calls for transforming the in higher education which adheres too much to organizational systems and structures-i.e., based on lecture-style pedagogies and unidirectional transfer of knowledge and related assessment. To be specific, Baun (Ch2) combines accelerated, intensive and immersion learning, and with two case studies points out that concentrated learning can be a feasible method for education. Layne (Ch3) examines some of the creative innovations higher education institutions make around their funding sources, structures and competition, and finds that, even within the context of economic pressures, competition and globalization, students should remain the central motivation in pedagogies, policies and infrastructures. Barnes et al. (Ch4) find that adopting an approach such as the Universal Design for Learning, which aims to facilitate learning for the maximum number of students, would benefit all students, for in such an approach, the variety of skills, cultures, needs, interests and backgrounds are all taken into consideration in learning activities. Burkill (Ch5) discusses the key pedagogic principles and reflects critically on the challenges faced by instructors and students. Nye (Ch6) focuses on stories of assessment and argues that good outcomes in the discipline depend on the inclusion of both traditional and experimental approaches.Part II (Chapters 7 to 9) is composed of three chapters on the experience of theory in solving current problems. Among the global innovations in teaching and learning introduced to readers, theory and practice-based approaches and case studies reveal researchoriented, student-driven experiences where student voices are foregrounded. Roller (Ch7) finds that if pre-service teachers participate in study abroad programs with an intentional curriculum, they are going to become better equipped to work with diverse students in their classrooms, being encouraged to reflect upon culture and pedagogy. Bartzis & Mulvihill (Ch8) find that the benefits of student teaching abroad programmes include increased self-awareness, cross-cultural understanding and the development of cultural empathy in teacher candidates. Hammonds & Oritsejafor (Ch9) argue that educators must take into account the extraordinary amount of time needed for planning, discussion, evaluation, and conceptualization before curriculum design begins.Practical experiences are then introduced in Part III (Chapters 10-13), with focus on the theme of transgressing boundaries using technology. Technology represents the most widely used means of transforming higher education and approaches to teaching and learning, under the influence of the internet. It demonstrates the range of possibilities available to transform teaching and learning in higher education. Morris & Stommel (Ch10) argue that MOOCs do not reveal anything new about education and learning, and they propose to build community in MOOCs. Kulchitsky et al. (Chn) focus on how automating and using feedback/checking of student notes support teaching and learning, and they find that the semantic coherence of student notes to instructor notes is a useful measurement tool of class performance. …